Garment hanger sheath



United States Patent 3,179,315 GARMENT HANGER SHEATH Stephan Anthony Sieradzki, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, assignor to James Leonard John Washer Filed Aug. 21, 1962,. Ser. No. 218,350 Claims priority,.application Canada, Nov. 7, 1961,

This invention relates to a protective and decorative sheath for use with garment hangers, whereby protection for a garment hung thereon can be had.

The use of formed Wire garment hangers or, more commonly coat hangers, is quite extensive, being used by most dry cleaning establishments to return cleaned garments. A major disadvantage of these hangers is the rather thin narrow support surface oliered, whereby garments, not-ably padded coats, hung thereon are often misshaped in the shoulder regions. In addition, the wire is normally supplied with a smooth surface such as plating or painting which, in the case of dresses and the like,

affords no resistance to the shoulder straps with the fre- Prior attempts have been made to overcome these difficulties with varying degrees of success. One such method is the provision of a mechanically fastened sheath of plastic or the like material draped over the wire portions in order to negate the above disadvantages. However this method is costly which prohibits its general use and in addition, the sheath frequently pulls loose from the hanger due to the rather poor attachment means used.

Another method is to place a preformed sheath made from a sheet material, such as pasteboard, over the hanger. This method also suffers from the aforementioned defects, as well as presenting a rather drab appearance.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger sheath that will protect a coat or similar garment hung thereon from undue creasmg.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sheath that will offer resistance to slipping for a garment hung thereon.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sheath that will offer protection for a garment from stains originating from the hanger material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sheath that is adapted to fit a variety of hanger types and V sizes.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a sheath that while incorporating all the above objects will also be decorative.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following discussion and accompanying drawings of a presently preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the hanger sheath showing one method of forming the cuts therein;

FIGURE 2 is a section through the sheath taken on the line 22'of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section through the sheath taken on the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the hanger sheath showing a second method of forming the cuts therein;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the sheath in the partially installed position on a conventional wire coat hanger; and,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the sheath in the fully installed position on a conventional wire coat hanger.

With reference to FIGURE 1, FIGURE 2 and FIG- URE 3, one preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated and indicated generally as 11 and comprises a one-piece body 12 formed of strip-like material and having a generally elongate, rectangular configuration. It is preferable that the body he formed from a foamed plastic, however this is not to be construed as being the only material possible since the requirements are for a resilient, elastic, rough-surfaced material having the additional desirable property of being easily colourable. Since foamed plastic possesses these qualities, as well as having a comparativelylow cost, it is chosen as a preferred material.

The body is parted lengthwise for a portion thereof to form a slit 13 being closed along one edge 14 and at both ends 15 and 16. An open edge 17 is thus formed along one side of body 12 ending in pockets 18 and 19. A hook cutout 20 is formed along edge 14 substantially midway of ends 15 and 16 and is in communication with slit 13.

Referring to FIGURE 4 a second preferred embodiment, indicated generally as 21, is illustrated and comprises a body 22 similar to body 12 and having ends 23 and 24. A slit 25 is formed in body 22 in a manner similar to slit 13 except the pockets so formed have a rounded configuration as shown at 26 and 27. Other configurations of the pockets can also be resorted to, such as angular or pointed, according to the preferred method of manufacture and use.

FIGURE 4 also discloses a second method of forming a hook cutout 28 which in this case is merely a slit in the material which communicates with slit 25. It will also be appreciated that although the drawings show a substantially rectangular form for body 12 or 22, this is a presently preferred method of shaping, however other shapes such as tapered and the like can also be resorted to if so desired, the main features being apparent from the following description of use.

In use the hook 29 of a conventional wire hanger 30, as shown in FIGURE 5, is slipped through the hook cutout 20 of shield 11, having the open edge 17 of slit 13 facing in the direction of hanger 30. As illustrated in FIGURE 5, the free length of shield 11 is substantially less than that of hanger 30. The shield is pushed down over the hook shank 31 to come to rest at the hook root 32, where it joins hanger 30 as shown in FIGURE 6.

The ends 15 and 16 of shield 12 are stretched and placed over ends 33 and 34 of hanger 30, said hanger ends being biased into pockets 18 and 19 by the resilience inherent in the shield material. Thus it can be seen that the shield forms a tensioned, anti-slip protective cover over the hanger and at the same time improves the appearance thereof especially if the shield material is supplied in bright colours. It is also worthwhile to note that the shield has a further advantage in that it provides a sound-absorbing covering, preventing often annoying rattles when such are hung on door hooks and the like.

It will be further appreciated that the device may also be utilized with other styles of coat hangers if so desired, since being elastic it will readily conform to a variety of shapes and sizes.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have herein been described, various alterations in design can be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and while still falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

An improved sheath for garment hangers of the type having shoulders sloping from a suspension apex to a 3 brace spanning said shoulders, saidv sheath tensionable for accommodation over said shoulders and comprising:

a slit in said sheath defining a pair of substantially rectangular flank portions formed of resilient rough-surfaced elastic foamed plastic of identical dimensions lying side by side in parallel planes;

a common edge portion of resilient rough-surfaced elasticfoarned plastic integrally joining said flank portions together substantially normal thereto along one side thereof and defining a generally U-shaped cross-section therewith along the entire length of said flank portions when said sheath is in untensioned condition; 3

a pair of end portions of resilient rough-surfaced elastic foamed plastic integrally interconnecting said flank portions substantially normal thereto along both ends thereof and closing said U-shaped cross-section at both said ends;

said flank portions, edge portion and end portions forming an integral block-like substantially rectangular elongate sheath structure in their untensioned con dition;

and a hole extending through said edge portion midway between said end portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,178,965 11/39 Johnson 223--98 2,687,243 8/54 Rasmussen 223 9s 2,828,899 4/58 Zuckerrnan 223-98 2,873,053 2/59 Seegrist 223-98 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. DAVID J. WILLLAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

